味苦寒。主大水。面目四肢浮肿。下水令人吐。生川泽。
柔蔓弱条。凌霄秋系。其落无容。不才共济。蹄践情移。穣灰性制。肥白轮 。净无
翳。
麻九畴诗。弱条柔蔓渐萦回。范 诗。凌霄必有为。庄子。忧其瓠落无所容。国语。苦
瓠不
材。与人共济而已。汪机曰。有原种是甘变为苦者。俗谓牛马践踏之故。苏恭曰。服苦瓠过
分。吐利不止者。以黍穣灰汁解之。凡用苦瓠。以细理莹净。无 翳者佳。僧道衍诗。嫩瓠
肥白才 。陆游诗。家园瓜瓠渐轮 。
味甘平。主女子赤沃。止血养精。保血脉益气。令人肥健嗜食。一名水英。生池泽。
洁清是尚。菜美芹荑。琼田玉本。碧涧青泥。豆加芬实。盘馈春齐。至尊思献。德遍氓
黎。
诗疏。采芹尚洁清也。吕氏春秋。菜之美者。云梦之芹。朱子诗。琼田何日种。玉本一
时生
。高启诗。饭煮忆青泥。羹炊思碧涧。周礼。加豆之实。芹菹兔醢。四时宝镜。东晋李鄂。
立春日以芦菔芹菜为菜盘相馈贻。嵇康书。野人有快炙背而美芹子者。欲献之至尊。诗。群
黎百姓。遍为尔德。
【苦瓠】
味苦，性寒。主治全身严重水肿，导致面目及四肢浮肿。服用后能利水，但会引起呕吐。生长在河流与沼泽地带。
它有着柔弱的藤蔓和细长的枝条，在秋季攀援悬挂于高处。它的果实坠落时没有固定的形态（或指其形状不规则），因其不成材而常被用于渡河时的辅助浮具（如系于腰间助泳）。若被人蹄践踏，其性质会发生改变；用黍稷的灰烬汁液可以制约其毒性。优质的苦瓠肉质肥白、纹路细密莹润、洁净无斑点瑕疵。
麻九畴有诗云：“弱条柔蔓渐萦回。”范成大诗云：“凌霄必有为。”《庄子》中提到：“忧其瓠落无所容。”《国语》中说：“苦瓠不材，与人共济而已。”汪机说：有的原种是甘甜的变为苦的，民间认为是因为被牛马践踏的缘故。苏恭说：服用苦瓠过量导致呕吐腹泻不止的，可以用黍稷灰汁来解毒。凡是使用苦瓠，以纹理细密、晶莹洁净、无斑点的为佳。僧人道衍有诗云：“嫩瓠肥白才……”陆游诗云：“家园瓜瓠渐轮……”
【水靳（即水芹）】
味甘，性平。主治女子赤白带下，具有止血、养精、保血脉、益气的作用，能使人身体肥壮强健、食欲增加。又名水英。生长在池塘与沼泽地带。
崇尚清洁纯净，味道鲜美如同芹菜和荑草。生长在如玉田般的净土中，根茎洁白如玉，生于碧绿的溪涧和青色的淤泥里。可以作为祭祀或宴饮中的美味佳肴，在春季盘中呈现整齐的美味。至尊者思考进献，恩德遍及百姓。
《诗经疏》说：“采芹尚洁清也。”《吕氏春秋》记载：“菜之美者，云梦之芹。”朱熹诗云：“琼田何日种，玉本一时生。”高启诗云：“饭煮忆青泥，羹炊思碧涧。”《周礼》记载：“加豆之实，芹菹兔醢。”《四时宝镜》记载东晋李鄂的话：立春日用萝卜和芹菜做成菜盘互相馈赠。嵇康书信中说：“野人有快炙背而美芹子者，欲献之至尊。”《诗经》云：“群黎百姓，遍为尔德。”
[Ku Hu (Bitter Bottle Gourd)]
Taste: Bitter. Nature: Cold. Indications: Mainly treats severe edema of the whole body, causing swelling of the face, eyes, and limbs. Administration promotes urination but induces vomiting. Habitat: Grows in rivers and marshes.
Description: It possesses soft vines and slender branches, hanging high in autumn. Its fallen fruit has no fixed shape (or refers to its irregular form); because it is considered "useless" for construction, it is commonly used as an auxiliary floating device for crossing water (e.g., tied around the waist to aid swimming). If trampled by hooves, its nature changes; the toxicity can be neutralized with juice from millet chaff ash. The superior quality Ku Hu has fleshy white flesh, fine and lustrous textures, and is clean without spots or blemishes.
Ma Jiuchou wrote in poetry: "Weak vines and soft tendrils gradually wind back." Fan Chengda wrote in poetry: "Reaching toward the sky, there must be a purpose." *Zhuangzi* mentions: "Worrying that the gourd is too large to have any container for it." *Guoyu* states: "The bitter gourd is useless [for other purposes], serving only to help people cross water." Wang Ji said: Some original varieties change from sweet to bitter; folk custom attributes this to being trampled by cattle and horses. Su Gong said: For those who suffer from incessant vomiting and diarrhea due to excessive consumption of bitter gourd, millet chaff ash juice can be used to resolve the toxicity. Whenever using Ku Hu, the best are those with fine textures, lustrous cleanliness, and no blemishes. Monk Daoyan wrote in poetry: "Tender gourds are fat and white..." Lu You wrote in poetry: "In the home garden, melons and gourds gradually become round..."
[Shui Jin (Water Dropwort / Water Celery)]
Taste: Sweet. Nature: Neutral. Indications: Mainly treats leukorrhea (red discharge) in women; stops bleeding, nourishes essence, protects blood vessels, tonifies Qi, makes the body robust and strong, and increases appetite. Alias: Shui Ying. Habitat: Grows in ponds and marshes.
Description: Emphasizes purity and clarity; its taste is exquisite like celery and young grass shoots. It grows in pure soil like jade fields, with roots white as jade, born in green streams and blue mud. It serves as a delicious offering for sacrifices or banquets, presented neatly in spring dishes. The Sovereign contemplates presenting it, spreading virtue among the common people.
*Shijing Shu* (Commentary on the Book of Songs) says: "Gathering celery emphasizes purity and clarity." *Lüshi Chunqiu* records: "Among vegetables, the most exquisite are the celery of Yunmeng." Zhu Xi wrote in poetry: "When shall I plant in the jade fields? When will the jade root sprout at one time?" Gao Qi wrote in poetry: "Cooking rice reminds me of green mud; cooking soup makes me think of green streams." *Zhouli* (Rites of Zhou) records: "Adding beans' contents: pickled celery and rabbit paste." *Sishi Baojing* (Four Seasons Treasure Mirror) records Li E of the Eastern Jin Dynasty: "On the Day of Start of Spring, radish and celery are made into vegetable dishes and exchanged as gifts." Ji Kang wrote in letters: "A rustic person enjoys warming his back on the sun and finds celery seeds delicious, wishing to present them to the Sovereign." *Shijing* (Book of Songs) says: "The multitudes and common people are all covered by your virtue."